ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Other Agencies Woo O.C. Deputies : Law enforcement: With pay cuts their only certainty, many might take offers elsewhere. County officials are concerned.

Law enforcement agencies in other counties are actively recruiting Orange County sheriff’s deputies who face pay cuts and job uncertainty because of the county’s bankruptcy crisis--a development that threatens to deplete the department of some its most talented and experienced officers.

“We see it as an opportunity to take advantage of their misfortune,” said Sgt. Art Miller, who is in charge of recruiting for the Los Angeles Police Department. “It’s great for us.”

Officials from the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs estimate that at least 130 deputies are considering working for other departments because of the personal financial toll they will suffer as a result of the county bankruptcy.

“This is a very serious situation,” said Robert MacLeod, a spokesman for the deputies association. “The other agencies know they can get the cream of the crop by recruiting here.”

In addition to the LAPD, officials from Riverside and Los Angeles counties’ sheriff’s departments confirm that they also are recruiting from Orange County. Some recruiters are even handing out flyers to Orange County deputies outside the department’s Santa Ana headquarters, MacLeod said, adding that recruiters also are making personal telephone calls to deputies.

Because of the bankruptcy, the county’s 1,360 deputies have been told they will not receive a salary increase negotiated for last year, nor will they get merit increases. Additionally, a special overtime allowance, known as Madera pay, is scheduled to be cut.

“This is a potential 20% cut in pay,” MacLeod said, adding deputies are particular concerned about losing the Madera pay.

“If we lose that, many of them are going to follow the county into the bankruptcy,” he said.

An average deputy with five years experience earns $53,000 base pay. Losing Madera pay, which is additional compensation and pays deputies for being on call and at work during their break and lunch time, would amount to pay cuts of between 7.5% and 9.4% for as many as 800 uniformed deputies, association officials have said.

Supervisor William G. Steiner said the outside recruiting is “a real concern” for him.

“It would be real short-sighted for the county to risk losing these deputies as a result of these pay reductions,” Steiner said.

Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates was in Sacramento on Wednesday and not available for comment.

Lt. Dan Martini, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said the recruiting efforts do not surprise him.

“It would make sense that they would look at our situation here and let their efforts be known,” Martini said. “I don’t think it is anything devious or covert, but it is an opportunity to try and get the most qualified candidates for a job.”

Martini said he has no statistics on how many deputies have indicated they are interested in transferring to another department.

“A lot of it is just a panic call,” he said. “We don’t know what the bottom line on their pay is going to be. When they start to figure in the other factors like relocating or the drive to Los Angeles you may start to see some of those decisions backpedal somewhat.”

Regardless, Investigator Mark Lohman, a spokesman for the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, said his department’s recruiters are “active in Orange County.”

“We’re looking for the best people for the job,” he said.

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Spear said his department targeted Orange County a couple months ago when it appeared that there might be layoffs within the department. Since layoffs are not imminent, however, he said recruiters have stopped “targeting” Orange County deputies. His department is still recruiting in Orange County, but not any heavier than other areas, he said.

LAPD’s Sgt. Miller said recruiters are gearing up to hold “recruitment shows” in Orange County and are considering scheduling written and oral exams here to make it easier for applicants. He said the LAPD is seeking to hire more than 1,000 new officers within the next year--about 90 people a month.

Miller added that LAPD is also advertising locally that it is hiring for new positions. He said Orange County deputies are particularly attractive candidates because “they are already trained.”